I was under the impression that the Blackhawk show car was built just for the heck of it with no plans to produce it. In reading the November issue of Ward's AutoWorld, I came across this article: GM Plant Gets Up To 4 Products. Check out the last sentence: Very interesting!
Wow, a batch build plant! A step in the right direction after a decade of sprinting down the wrong one. If the Blackhawk is built they can have my paychecks!
Please recheck the link. It goes to a blank page. Here's hoping they actually build the Blackhawk, and give it the big block drivetrain I saw in it at Nats. I could just see GM putting that beautiful car together and giving it some wheezer ecotec 4-cylinder motor to save a few dimes. Then we'd just have an oversized convertible PT Cruiser. ou: Now, if they put in a big block, that would be a whole other ball game. GM has contracted out engine blocks before, so maybe they could give a substantial enough order to a Buick aftermarket parts supplier to get this whole "new 455 block" thing off the ground. Selling a few hundred to us Buick nuts is one thing, but if the General opened their wallet and laid down for 2500 of them for new cars, I think it would bring the whole process to a new level. Of course, one of those GMPP 502 ramjets would work nicely too. The FI unit looks great with a little chrome: http://www.hotrodlane.cc/chrome502ramjet.html - Freed
OMG! The thought of a production Blackhawk is mind blowing. I also fear they would under power it, as Buick always seems to do. They must realize that since it would be a "niche" market targeted car, that they need to pull out all the stops and put the balls to the wall! Settle for nothing less than low 12's! Man, that is a beautiful car too, anyway you dice it. A very tastefully done, complete package. Hope it works out!
Here's some other good little Blackhawk tidbits. http://www.chazcone.com/50th/blackhawk.htm Even though they say "There are no specific plans for production." , who knows, you can't go by that because this article may be too old. At that time there may have been no "specific" plans, but from the sounds of this new plant, maybe it's getting more and more specific. :TU:
I agree with Freed, it would be just like GM to drop a 6 banger in there and call it even. Rest assured, they will ruin it just about the time they get it right (read: Firebird, Fiero, Impala SS, etc). ou:
Gee whiz, if they drop an inline 6-popper in it, just pull it out and drop a turbo 6 or a Stage 1 motor where it belongs. Send the motor back to Buick with a note that says, "No thanks, I put a real motor in it."
That would be all fine and dandy if they didn't have more computers in them than the Dell factory does. Who's idea was it to put onboard computers in cars anyway....ou:
It was the government's fault... The Big 3 did not want to build the cars we have today.. can you even being to fathom the cost of R&D for the ever changing computerized engine managment systems on today's cars? They had to have fuel control, more efficent than a carburator, to meet the EPA and CAFE regulations. The upside is, now that they have it figured out, we get good performance and milage too. But it took 20 years.. And the coolest thing about that car is the Stage 2 455 motor under the hood... without that, it would be no where near what it is now. Don't bet on seeing a 455 again.. the bean counters will kill that idea. Would cost way too much. And, from watching that Blackhawk crank and crank one time, trying to get it started, and then another time see it smoke black like mad from being rich going down the track, I would say they would have to spend a bunch of R&D time on the fuelie system.. It will be much easier to drop in a current power train combo. But a supercharged 3.8 might be cool. JW
Yep, I saw it belching the black stuff down at Bowling Green, what a shame. I never did get to take an up close look at it though. Sure is pretty from a distance ! All this talk made me go dig out my pictures of the retractable top in action.
"I agree with Freed, it would be just like GM to drop a 6 banger in there and call it even." Now why did you have to go and pick on the 6 banger. All you BB guru's are still banging your heads together trying to come up with some 8 hole motor that, at best, will still be slower than the V6. :laugh::laugh: A worse fate would be the General sticking a 502/502 crate motor in the Blackhawk and stamping a Buick part number on it. Wouldn't that open a huge can of worms. No matter what motor is in it, I would have one. I tried to buy one before the car started making the car show circuit. :ball: No such luck. The Z06 would have to go! John Schmidt
Hey i'd be very happy building up the inline 6 cyl that gm has. with a hood that long i bet an inline 8 woulden't be too much out of the question. heck the inline 5 cyl and 6 are almost identical. there was a i believe a motortrend where they had a concept chevy trailblazer with twin turbo and were compairing it to the typhoons of 92ish. i think the hp was in the upper 300s if not in the 400's and i don't think anything was done to the bottom end.. most of the equipment was an off the shelf bolt on. nate
I wouldn't bet on seeing another 455" either. But look at it this way, Chrysler built a prowler right? Chrysler built a viper right? Just how outlandish can this be comparativly? The huge viper motor isn't exactly a fuel sipping honda. this motor makes a 455" look reasonable(and gives a good excuse for this one). It would take a bit of refinement no doubt. After all they were calling that a prototype.:Comp:
Welcome to the Board Rob!:TU: You definitely make a good point. If the Viper can have that V-10, why couldn't the Blackhawk have a 455?? It will be limited production anyways...should slip in under the C.A.F.E. standards. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a RWD SC3800 with intercooler and a choice of 4 or 5 spd. auto or 5 or 6 spd. manual!:bglasses: As long as it's not underpowered like the Prowler - we'll be doing good!:TU: GM definitely needs to wake up and smell the 'niche' market. Most other manufacturers seem to have found it!ou:
The Blackhawk was built by Steve Pasteiner at his shop in Detroit. It was designed by Steve and Mike Doble ( the man in charge of Buick's concept cars at the time it was built) .The engine was built by people not familiar with Buick power and they made some mistakes. They tried to make RPM instead of torque, and clearenced it wrong to start. If Mike and Dave had been in the loop, the car wiuld have been VERY QUICK! Buick spent a bundle on the drive line ,but spent it in the wrong place.
